1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for silk screen printing on an expanded vinyl or leather surface, especially a rough surface, such as found on a football or basketball, for applying high quality reproduction of an oil painting, photograph, or corporate logo, and especially sports images. Specifically, this invention is directed to a method, and the product produced thereby, of silk screen printing on the vinyl surface of a football, to form a decorative design or reproduction, which has high resolution and cannot be easily removed or affected during assembly or inflation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of silk screen technology for providing reproductions of artwork and photographic representations on various surfaces is well known. Fabric is often decorated using silk screen techniques. Although fabric surfaces are quite amenable to silk screen techniques, certain other surfaces, based on their composition, hardness, texture, smoothness and other factors, have not been used. Specifically, material having a rough surface with recessed portions is particularly difficult on which to apply silk screen designs since traditional ink formulations and application methods do not adequately coat the recessed areas thereby degrading the quality of the reproduction. Furthermore, past attempts at applying multi-colored images to material used to make sports balls resulted in cracking or flaking of the image during the assembly process in which the ball is turned inside out prior to final assembly or during inflation when the surface experiences slight expansion.
In the current sports world, memorabilia containing images of players, team designs, team logos especially for baseball, football and basketball, and trading cards, has become a large industry in itself.
The present invention relates to the reproduction of sport images including players, designs and logos which may be based on an oil painting or photograph, or other works, such that a reproduction of the image is transferred onto a vinyl surface of a sporting object such as a football. In the specific embodiment shown in this invention, the applicant has invented a method to provide a high quality image on the surface of a football, or a portion thereof, that has a vinyl or leather surface using silk screen techniques.
The method is also usable for other sport objects such as basketballs or other vinyl, leather, or other synthetic type materials such that the image remains unaffected by the turning experienced during assembly or inflation.